From Tunny to Colossus: A Virtual Talk by Dr Ted Coles

The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) is home to the world's largest collection of working historic computers.Follow the development of computing: from the Turing-Welchman Bombe and Colossus of the 1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, to the rise of personal computing and the rise of mobile computing and the internet.Recognised as one of England’s top 100 ‘irreplaceable places’, we welcome corporate and group visits, schools and individuals from all over the world.We are normally open Tuesday to Friday 10:30 -17:00, Saturday & Sunday 10:30 – 17:00. Please check tickets for actual opening days and times.TNMOC operates independently of Bletchley Park Trust, although we are located on the Bletchley Park Estate.To visit us, go through the main Bletchley Park entrance, through the barrier, walk or drive bearing left beyond the main car parks, to our separate entrance located at the top of the Park.Visit their website here for more information.https://www.tnmoc.org/Sat Nav users: please use the postcode for the railway station MK3 6DS on Sherwood Drive and then follow signs. The postcode for Bletchley Park will actually take you to an old entrance which is closed.

tnmoc

From Tunny to Colossus, discover how Bletchley Park cryptanalysts developed a way of deciphering German intercepted messages during WWII.

In this talk, Dr Ted Coles will tell the story of the super-secure cipher machine that was developed by Nazi Germany during WWII, used for sending long telegrams between German High Command and the Generals at the Army group HQs in occupied Europe and North Africa. This machine and its traffic were codenamed “Tunny” and “Fish”.Without ever having seen the machine, the Bletchley Park cryptanalysts managed to diagnose how it worked and to develop a way of deciphering some 63 million characters of intercepted messages. How this was done, and the equipment developed – “Heath Robinson” and “Colossus” together with “Tunny” that emulated the Lorenz SZ-42 (whose name was unknown until later) – will be described in an illustrated talk to be followed by a short question and answer session.About the Speaker:Dr Ted Coles, a researcher and TNMOC Guide, was interested in Physics and Electronics at school and went on to enjoy a career spanning Computing and Medicine. A qualified doctor, he served on the scientific staff of the Medical Research Council as part of the clinical academic team at the Welsh National School of Medicine – which later joined Cardiff University – as both a Director of Computing and a public health physician. This has given Ted a unique perspective on the power of computers to democratise knowledge and has shaped his work as a Museum Guide. It was an early fascination with Colossus and Bletchley Park that drew Ted to become a TNMOC Guide. Colossus was the world’s first digital computer, designed and built to help break the WWII encryption codes of the German military’s Lorenz cipher machine. Ted strives to use his experience and interests to bring the story of Computing and Cryptography - and their importance - to all audiences, regardless of background.Joining Information: Joining information and a link to connect to this virtual talk via Zoom will be included in your booking confirmation email. Please check your spam folder if you have not received this. If you do not receive a booking confirmation email, please contact Emily Wager, our Events and Communications Officer, at emily.wager@tnmoc.org.

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}

From Tunny to Colossus: A Virtual Talk by Dr Ted Coles

More events from tnmoc

Discover more events from tnmoc, from Science & Tech to other experiences you might love.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.

From Tunny to Colossus: A Virtual Talk by Dr Ted Coles

More events from tnmoc

Discover more events from tnmoc, from Science & Tech to other experiences you might love.

More Science & Tech events

Browse more Science & Tech events with different dates, prices, and formats to find your next great experience.

Still looking for the right event?

Explore all online events to browse and filter by date, category, and more.